


Let me prove it to you

by Ellie_Flyer



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Ellie Returns to Jackson (The Last of Us), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Major Character Injury, Useless Lesbians, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie_Flyer/pseuds/Ellie_Flyer
Summary: She didn't expect to receive a warm welcome when she returned to Jackson, not did she get one. All she wanted was to make sure her family was safe, and if she was given the chance, to prove that she wasn't going to leave again.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Kudos: 33





	Let me prove it to you

She should have expected it, after all, Dina had told her she wasn't doing this again, so When she came back to find the farm empty she wasn't surprised, hell, she wasn't anything. She felt almost numb, the only thing she felt was the pain of her wounds that she had gotten on her journey to find Abby. Her side ached, the stitching job she did on it was terrible, and she had phantom pains in her left hand, from where her two fingers once were. 

Her two fingers. She would never be able to play guitar the same again. It was one of the things that made her feel close to Joel, and now she didn't even have that anymore. 

She didn't have a lot of things anymore.

She didn't have her fingers, she didn't have her family, She wasn't even sure if she had a home anymore. 

She figured she would find out soon enough, Jackson was only about a three-hour walk from the farm.

With that she took one last look around the farm, gripped her bag, and left, but instead of walking away from her family, this time, she was walking towards them.

By the time she got to Jackson the sky had already started to darken, the sun only just peeking over the mountains, and a chill was starting to settle in the air.

The green-eyed girl could see the guards in the watchtower, looking for any signs of danger. She took a breath to steel herself before stepping into their view. 

She watched as they aimed their weapons at her, asking her to state who she was and what she was doing here. 

"I used to live here, my name is Ellie." She told them and the guards murmured to each other before one disappeared out of her sight. She didn't have to wait long as the gate was opened and Maria rushed out.

She was engulfed in the older woman's arms and she let out a small sigh of relief. "We all thought you were dead," Maria mumbled, her voice thick with emotion as she clutched onto the girl who had become so much like a niece to her.

"I almost was." Ellie whispered though didn't go into detail as Maria pulled away and looked at her. Ellie's gaze, however, was aimed at the gate. " Did...did they..." She couldn't bring herself to ask but Maria seemed to understand what she was trying to stay.

"Yeah...they moved back and are staying with Jesse's parents." Maria informed her and Ellie felt a weight lift off her chest. " but we'll worry about that later, let's get you looked at." The older woman guided her inside the walls.

Ellie followed her, keeping her head down as everyone's eyes seemed to follow them. 

"Where's Tommy." Ellie found herself asking and Maria glanced at her, " Probably at the bar, he spends most of his time there." She said dryly and Ellie figured Maria and Tommy still weren't on the best of terms.

Ellie was quite for the most part and soon she found herself at the clinic. A doctor was checking on her wounds and from the look on his face, she guessed they were still pretty bad.

Maria was sat in the corner, and whenever Ellie looked like she was ready to bolt out of there the blonde gave her a stern look that made Ellie stay where she was.

"The wound on your side looks pretty bad, along with your fingers of course, and the other wound on your hand...how did you say you got it?" The doctor asked and she paused. She had burned the bite mark she had received and it left a nasty wound in it's place, but it's still better than people seeing a bite mark.

"I uh...burned myself making a fire." She finished lamely and by the look the doctor gave her, he didn't believe her. He didn't comment further on it though and simply gave her some medicine she would have to take every day to help with her wounds. 

Maria thanked the doctor and Ellie followed her out. "You better take these, Ellie," Maria told her and the Auburn haired girl sighed but nodded.

"You need to rest, your old place is still open...Joel's is too." Maria added the last part tentatively and Ellie bit her lip, " I don't think im ready..." Maria smiled reassuringly and patted her shoulder, " That's fine, let's get you home."

Home...maybe she still had one after all, though to her home was being with two people, two people that she didn't think she deserved anymore.

A few hours later she was alone in her old place. It was much more empty than it was before Joel died, all of her stuff still being at the farm. She didn't mind though, after all, she didn't know if she would be staying. 

If she would or not all depended on one person, and she was pretty sure that person didn't want to see her face after what she had done. 

She had fucked up, badly at that. She left the two most important people in her life for revenge. She let Abby become more important than them.

Though a part of her knew that she had to have done it, and that letting Abby go was the first step in order to begin healing. Joel wouldn't have wanted her to go down that path, and by letting Abby go it showed that some of the old Ellie was still in there. 

She also felt that she could forgive Joel now, something that she wished she could have done a long time ago.

She was knocked out of her thoughts by a loud pounding on the door, her gaze snapping up quickly but she surprisingly didn't find herself in a flashback. Instead, she jumped a bit, her heart racing, but she managed to get up and open the door. 

Tommy was the one on the other side of the door, an eager look on his face as he looked more full of life than he has since Seattle. 

"Did you do it?" That was the first thing he said, he didn't bother to ask how she was, if she was settling in just fine, nope, he was just concerned if he had managed to find Abby and end it. 

"Tommy it's late."She tried to reason and went to close the door but he blocked it from closing with his cane. "Oh come on now Ellie, why don't you join me for a drink, it's Saturday, the bar is open longer tonight." He told her and she sighed, figuring he wasn't going to say no for an answer she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. He gave her a grin and the two headed off to the bar. 

The bar was fairly packed when they got there and Ellie made a beeline for the bar, seeing as it was a bit less crowded there. Tommy joined her and she watched as he ordered the two of them some beer. 

Once the bottles were placed in front of them he immediately took a sip, Ellie, on the other hand, simply gripped the bottle with her good hand, not bothering to drink it, she didn't want to end up like Tommy.

"So, tell me what happened." Tommy prompted her and she frowned. " She was being held captive by this group, the rattlers. They kept people as slaves, they chained up infected and put them in pits." She explained in disgust. 

"They almost managed to get me but I escaped, went to their main base and took them all out, freed the prisoners to." She continued and Tommy motioned for her to continue. "On of them told me where she was and I found her and that boy on the beach, tied up and left to die. She was still alive, but she was a shell of what she used to be. when I cut her down she was only worried about that boy."

She remembered how weak they looked, like they were going to drop dead any moment. "Anyways, we ended up near some boats, she was getting the boy situated." She ran a hand over her face as she recalled her next actions. "She didn't want to fight me, so I held my knife to the kid's throat and forced her."

Tommy simply patted her on the shoulder, " You did what you had to." He tried to comfort but she shook her head and continued her story. 

"We fought, she managed to get my fingers but eventually I had her head underwater." Tommy looked at her eagerly, " So you did it? You killed her." He asked and she looked down.

"I let her go."

It was silent after that, Tommy looking at her in shock. Ellie refused to meet his gaze, instead staring at the beads of liquid that were making their way down her bottle. 

"Let me get this straight, you had her, had the chance to kill her, and you let her go." He repeated and she finally looked up at him. " It wouldn't be what Joel wan-" She tried to say but he wasn't having it. " You don't know what he would have wanted!" Tommy cut her off, his voice rising. " Tommy please." She begged but he just kept going.

"I should have known!" He was yelling now, the bar had gone quiet as all eyes were on them. "You're nothing but a coward!" He stood up, using his cane to help him. 

"She had the kid, and if I would have killed her I might as well have killed myself as well." Her voice rose at the end and he scoffed, " That should have been a sacrifice you were willing to take." He spat before shoving passed her and leaving the bar.

She watched him leave, a frown playing at her lips. She glanced around the room and noticed that all eyes were still on her so she ducked her head and hurried out of there.

Hopefully he would be able to forgive her.

By the time she got home most of Jackson was asleep, she had decided to wander around for a bit, not sure if she was ready to turn in for the night. 

She had a million thoughts running through her mind at that moment yet all of them seemed to revolve around one person.

Dina.

Ellie let out a weak sigh, her heart clenching at the thought of Dina never wanting to see her. With Tommy it was one thing...but Dina....Dina was everything to her. 

She knew she would have to see her at some point, and apparently the universe decided that meeting would happen now.

She had just gotten to her front door when she heard a voice clear behind her. She turned and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

Dina was there, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at her. "Heard people talking that you were back, I didn't believe it till I came here." She spoke, walking closer to Ellie. 

"Dina..." Ellie whispered but she was cut off by Dina's hand lashing out and slapping her clean across the face, a loud 'crack' echoing in the air. Ellie's hand went up to her face and she looked back to Dina. Dina's eyes, however, were now locked onto her hand, and Ellie followed her eyes and saw that she was staring at the spot her fingers once more. 

Ellie was quick to shove her hand in her pocket and coughed, her cheek stinging. " I deserved that." She whispered and Dina's eyes turned cold, "Yeah, you did." She said coldly before shaking her head. " You left Ellie, you left your family, you let her become more important." Dina's words stung but Ellie knew she deserved it. 

"I love you." Ellie said to her and Dina let out a dry laugh, " If you did you would have stayed." Ellie's mind flashed back to when Dina had asked her to prove that she loved her, to prove it by staying. Guilt settled in her chest as she stared pathetically at Dina.

"I had to do it." Ellie insisted and Dina glared at her before turning away, " Well I hope it was worth it." She started to walk away but paused when Ellie called out.

"I let her go." Ellie saw Dina turn her head slightly to listen and Ellie took a breath. " I had her, but I let her go, Joel wouldn't have wanted me to do it, and to be honest, I didn't want to either." She watched as Dina seemed to take in her words, and for a moment it looked like Dina was going to turn around. Instead, Dina simply started to walk again, and Ellie watched her until she was out of sight.

Ellie knew that Dina even talking to her was more than she deserved, so with that she allowed the smallest of smiles to appear on her face as she headed inside. 

For the first time in a long time her dreams were filled with nothing, and when she woke up in the morning she simply chalked it up to how tired she had been.

She laid in bed for only a few minutes before deciding to get up for the day, she was going to have to pay Maria a visit to see if there was any work to go around. 

She took a quick shower and sighed in boss when she felt the hot water hit her skin, it had been so long since she had taken a shower, and she was going to take her time.

By the time she was done she could already hear people out and about, hopefully they wouldn't stare this time. 

She got dressed and took the medicine the doctor had given her, washing it down with water. She knew Maria would give her shit for not eating so she made plans to stop by the bar, hopefully Seth wasn't there today.

She walked over to the door and on instinct went to reach for her knife that used to be stabbed into the table by the door. However her hand came back empty and she remembered, her knife was somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. 

She opened the front door but stopped, there was a letter taped to the other side. She slowly reached up and grabbed it, her hand running over the familiar handwriting. It belonged to Dina, and at that fact she felt her heart speed up. 

Ellie licked her lips before opening up the piece of paper and started reading. 

With each passing word she couldn't help it as hope swelled in her chest, Dina wanted to talk to her! Or well...give her the chance to explain herself fully. 

Either way Dina was willingly going to talk to her.

Ellie knew that there was a high possibility that Dina wasn't going to give her another chance, but she was going to do everything in her power to prove it to Dina.

Prove to her that she was going to stay this time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews would be very much appreciated!


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